The Evil Princess
by extremeenigma02
Summary: Evil Queen Regina's daughter Princess Natalie is just as evil as her mother. Together they both will enact the dark curse in order to get revenge on Snow White. When they finally arrive in Storybrooke they believe that they finally won, that is until the savior comes to town. PLZ follow, favorite, or review. (Will update when possible)
1. The Beginning

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! The last OUAT fiction I wrote didn't work out so well, but this one will be better. This story is about Princess Natalie, the daughter of Regina and her first love, Daniel. Natalie's father was murdered because of Snow White's betrayal. Together, Natalie and Regina shall have their revenge…by destroying Snow White.**

 **I don't own any characters or themes from Once Upon A Time. The only thing that I own is my OC Natalie.**

* * *

The Beginning of the Evil Queen and Princess:

Drenched with sweat, Regina laid in bed, still recovering from the strenuously long torture that is childbirth. In the end, it was all worth the newborn bundled up in Regina's arms. No doubt this was the happiest day of her life, yet she felt horrible.

Two weeks before her marriage to King Leopold, Regina discovered that she was pregnant. Her father, Henry, was thrilled for her, but her mother, Cora, was not. She knew that this child was Daniel's, the stable boy whom she killed. Cora wanted Regina to give the baby away the moment it was born, but Regina refused. After casting Cora through the looking glass, Regina married the king and later revealed her pregnancy, leaving out the fact it wasn't his.

As Regina held her daughter close, Leopold and Snow walked in to meet the new royal. Snow was so excited to have a sister that she ran and jumped onto the bed right next to Regina and the baby. An irritated whisper left Regina's lips,

"Careful, dear, you don't want to wake her up."

Thoroughly giddy, Snow just giggled,

"Sorry, I'm just so happy right now! I have a new stepmother and a new sister."

Bitterness made Regina bristle. Daniel, the love of her life, had been slain, all because Snow couldn't keep the secret from Cora. The last thing Regina wanted to do was marry Leopold, but Cora's desire for power had sealed Regina's fate.

Snow's voice broke through Regina's embittered thoughts,

"So, did you pick out a name for her yet?"

King Leopold sat beside his daughter,

"Why don't you pick a name, Snow?"

Leopold didn't see Regina's glare. He wants Snow, that treacherous blabbermouth, to name Regina's baby?!

The princess was blissfully unaware of her stepmother's resentful scowl. Snow thoughtfully hummed,

"How about...Natalie?"

On the surface, the idea thrilled Regina, but deep down, all she desired was to be rid of Snow and Leopold. One day, she would make that happen. With a fake smile, Regina agreed,

"Then Natalie it is."

* * *

At that moment, Regina jerked up in bed, just as the morning sun glowed through the silk curtains in her bedroom. For the past few days now, she's dream't about her past life in the Enchanted Forest, and…she couldn't comprehend why.

Just then, Regina's door opened, revealing her lovely daughter, Natalie. At sixteen, she was already a bewitching beauty, even in her baggy, red and black pajamas.

"Hey Mom, are you OK?"

Regina considered not telling her daughter about the dreams. Natalie was already having horrible nightmares about her father, and the last thing Regina wanted to do was give her daughter another reason to worry. With a slight nod and a thin smile, Regina answered,

"Yes, sweetie, I'm just fine."

Natalie could immediately tell that her mother was lying. That's one of the advantages of having a "shared mind". This means that Natalie and Regina could see each other's thoughts. If Regina were having dreams about the Enchanted Forest, which she was, then Natalie would have them too.

A knowing look formed on Natalie's face, as she sat beside her mother,

"Mom, I know that you're having dreams about home."

Closing her eyes, Regina sighed,

"One disadvantage of having a shared mind is that I can't hide anything from you."

"So quit trying," Natalie quipped, but her mother didn't laugh. This wiped the smile off of Natalie's face. Silence ensued, as she stared at Regina. Despite the bedhead, Regina's black hair was soft and glossy. The medium length bob flattered Regina's features, but it was nothing like the long, flowing locks that she had as queen. At the moment, some unruly bangs had fallen into her dark brown eyes.

Natalie tried to smile,

"I miss it."

"What?"

"Your long hair. I mean, it's nice now, but it looks like a mayor's haircut—not a queen's hairstyle."

That made Regina laugh. She moved a strand of blonde hair out of Natalie's face. Hands down, she was the greatest thing to ever happen to Regina. Daniel would've been the greatest, if he wasn't murdered, but his spirit was reflected in Natalie's blue eyes. From the moment she was born, Regina knew that she had a new purpose in life, which was to protect her daughter by any means necessary.

"Look, about the Enchanted Forest," Natalie shyly began, "The important thing to remember is," Now she smirked, "We won."

Now, Regina grinned, and so did Natalie, as they embraced. Suddenly, the door slammed open and in sprinted a small boy with short, brown hair and bright, hazel eyes. He leaped on the bed and tackled Natalie,

"Come on, Natty! We're gonna be late for school."

Natalie coughed from impact, but started laughing,

"OK, Henry, I'm coming."

As a rule, Natalie was composed and not so energetic, but her little brother was the exact opposite. He was so happy and energetic all the time, no matter what was happening. Well, technically, he wasn't her brother, since he was adopted. But she loved him as if he were her own flesh and blood.

Henry rushed out of the room, and Natalie soon followed him. She walked into her room that was decorated with all white and black trimmings. Quickly, she changed into her school uniform and hurried back into the hall, where Henry was waiting. Both of them walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen, where Regina made them a scrumptious breakfast. Soft, pats of butter were centered in pools of warm, amber syrup that drizzled over two piles of pancakes. After having their fill of tasty drop scones, they walked out the front door. Natalie breathed in the morning air, feeling refreshed and confident.

"Look out, Storybrooke," She smiled wickedly, "Here comes trouble."

* * *

 **This first chapter isn't long, but it's to give you the general idea of what this story will be about. Please like, follow, or review this story if you want me to continue. Until next time.**


	2. Pilot

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or themes from Once Upon A Time. All I own is my OC Natalie.**

Chapter 2: Pilot

 **Once Upon A Time**

 **There was an Enchanted Forest filled with all the classic characters we know…**

 **Or think we know…**

 **One day, they found themselves in a place where all their happy endings were stolen…**

 **Our World.**

 **This is how it happened...**

* * *

 _(Enchanted Forest, 28 years ago)_

 _Folds of a blood red cloak blew erratically in the wind, as ivory hooves stomped on the path. Faster, faster, faster! Prince Charming must get there faster! Word had reached him that Snow White had fallen under the Evil Queen's sleeping curse, and now the prince rushed to save his beloved princess._

 _As his white steed increased speed, snowflakes began to blanket the forest in a thick layer of snow. Soon, he came to a clearing in the trees, where The Seven Dwarves had gathered around a fallen tree. Approaching the tree, Charming noticed it had been fashioned in a glass coffin, and inside it…was Snow White._

 _"You're too late," Doc said sadly._

 _Everyone looked to the glass coffin where Snow White slept…forever. Sorrow flooded the mourners' hearts, as grief pooled into their eyes._

 _"No," Charming whispered as he approached the coffin._

 _Standing beside the coffin he gazed at the sleeping form of his true love. She was beautiful beyond belief with her hair black as night and skin white as snow. This shouldn't happen to her. Snow's gentleness shouldn't be repaid with cruelty. Determination clenched Charming's jaw,_

 _"Open this," He demanded, but Grumpy spat,_

 _"I'm sorry, but she's gone!"_

 _"At least let me say goodbye," Charming nearly pleaded._

 _The dwarves exchanged looks, but nodded and removed the glass lid from the coffin. Tears threatened to fall down Charming's face, as he knelt beside the coffin. His trembling lips gently kissed Snow White's. Suddenly, a ray of light and force of wind shot from the coffin! Charming stumbled away from Snow, as her eyes shot open, and she gasped. A great smile made its way to Charming's face, as Snow looked at him. She returned his smile,_

 _"You found me."_

 _"Did you ever doubt I would?" replied Charming._

 _"Truthfully, the glass coffin did give me pause," Snow said as Charming helped her sit up._

 _Stifling a laugh, Charming held her cheek, and he smiled once more._

 _"Well, you never have to worry, because I will always find you." He declared._

 _"Do you promise?"_

* * *

 _"I do."_

 _It was Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding day, and the entire kingdom was in attendance...well, except for a few UNWELCOME guests._

 _"And do you, Snow White," The priest was saying, "promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity?"_

 _"I do," Snow answered._

 _With this, the priest decreed,_

 _"I now pronounce you man and wife."_

 _The whole chamber erupted in cheers and applause, while the newlyweds leaned in to seal their marriage (and happy ending) with a kiss. Suddenly, the chapel doors burst open, causing the entire room to explode in gasps and shrills at the sight before them. There, standing in the doorway dressed in black, was The Evil Queen Regina and her daughter Princess Natalie._

 _"Sorry, we're late," Regina smirked._

 _A few of the guards brandished their swords and ran towards the nefarious royals, who made their way down the aisle. Seeing this, Regina shot her arm out, magically casting one of the guards aside, and Natalie did the same with the other._

 _Doc shouted,_

 _"It's the princess and the queen, RUN!"_

 _Snow saw Prince Charming's sword strapped to his side. She grabbed the sword from her husband's sheath, and pointed the blade directly at the villainesses._

 _"They aren't royalty anymore," Snow White growled, "The queen is nothing more than an evil witch, and the princess should know better."_

 _A conflict arose within Snow White. Princess Natalie was still Snow's little stepsister. If possible, Snow didn't want to be hostile towards Natalie, but Snow would protect her kingdom and her people at all costs._

 _Charming reached up and lowered the blade,_

 _"No, no, don't stoop to their level. There's no need," At this point, the prince addressed the queen and princess, "You're wasting your time. You've already lost, and I will not let either of you ruin this wedding day."_

 _Natalie chuckled slightly,_

 _"Oh, we haven't come to ruin anything, Charming."_

 _"On the contrary, dear, we've come to give you a gift." Regina added._

 _Snow was seething,_

 _"We want nothing from you!"_

 _"But you shall have it," Natalie retorted._

 _Pacing back and forth across the floor, Regina presented the plan,_

 _"Our gift to you is this happy...happy day. For tomorrow, the real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love will be taken from you...forever. And out of your suffering will rise our victory."_

 _Natalie strutted up to the altar, until her and Snow were nose to nose,_

 _"We shall destroy your happiness...if it is the last thing we do."_

 _With that, she and Regina made their way to the doors._

 _"HEY!" Charming shouted._

 _The diabolical duo turned to see the prince's sword flying towards them. Before it could hit them, a black smoke engulfed them. They vanished, leaving the newlyweds to cling to each other._

* * *

(Storybrooke, Present Day)

Thankfully, school ended for the day. A sixteen year old Natalie Mills walked into her house, feeling like she was the luckiest girl in the world. Her life has been so much better after casting the dark curse. She never had to want for anything, because her mother was a wealthy mayor. This also meant that Natalie had full immunity from the law, and she was the most popular girl in school. Everything was going perfectly…or so Natalie thought. As she ambled through the door, Natalie saw her mother pacing frantically.

"Mom, are you OK?" she asked

Regina turned to see Natalie in the doorway and walked over to her.

"Henry's gone!" She cried, "Do you know where he is?"

Horror drained the blood from Natalie's face,

"What? No, I have no idea! Where would he go?"

Regina gasped,

"I had Graham look everywhere in town for Henry, but he is nowhere to be found."

Now, Regina was close to hyperventilating, making Natalie extremely nervous for her mother. She placed her hands on her mother's shoulders to steady her,

"OK, OK, mom you need to calm down. We will find him."

Heavy footsteps proclaimed another person's entrance. Natalie saw brown hair, dark eyes, and a scruffy beard, which dirtied a handsome face…Sheriff Graham. Feeling assured by his presence, Natalie left her mother with him and went up to her room. Upon entry, she yanked the headband out of her long blonde hair, before tearing off her school uniform and exchanging it for a red tank top and a jet-black silk skirt. Then Natalie sat at her dresser that had a huge mirror on it, and began her homework. Natalie truly hated doing schoolwork, but at least it was better than being in Mary Margaret Blanchard's class.

Just as she began her math work, Natalie glanced at her mirror. An idea came to her head. She waved her hand in front of the mirror, and it swirled with a purple smoke. It was the last magic she had in this land, but it was worth finding her little brother.

Suddenly, Henry's image appeared in the mirror. He stood in front of a door in the hallway of an apartment building and rang the doorbell. Within moments, a blond woman wearing a pink dress answered. Her emerald green eyes searched for the visitor, until they looked down at him.

"Um, can I help you?" she asked

"Are you Emma Swan?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

"My name's Henry," He introduced himself, "I'm your son."

Henry then smiled and pushed past her into the apartment.

"Whoa, hey! Kid, kid, KID, I don't have a son. Where are your parents?" she asked.

"Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" He pointed to himself, "That was me."

Emma looked genuinely shocked,

"Give me a minute."

Her feet stiffly stepped into the bathroom, before her hands gripped the sink. Gazing into the mirror, Emma's mind processed everything that was happening. She did have a son that she gave up for adoption when she was eighteen. Now that little boy was in her apartment. How did he even find her?

"Do you have any juice? " She could hear him say, "...never mind! Found some."

Emma walked out of the bathroom, and saw him drinking juice straight from the carton.

Henry unashamedly smiled,

"You know, we should probably get going."

"Going where?" she asked.

"I want you to come home with me."

Hearing him say that made her jaw drop in amazement.

"OK, kid, I'm calling the cops." she said.

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me," he replied.

"And they'll believe you, because I'm your birth mother."

"Yep."

"You're not gonna do that."

"Try me," Henry said smugly.

"You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill; let's call it a superpower. I can tell when someone is lying, and you kid are." Emma mirrored his smugness, as she proceeded to start dialing her phone.

"Wait...please, don't call the cops," Henry begged, "Please come home with me."

She considered it for a moment, but then came to only one conclusion,

"Where's home?"

"Storybrooke, Maine."

Emma couldn't hide her skepticism,

"Storybrooke, seriously?"

Henry nodded.

"OK then, " Emma shrugged, "Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

* * *

 _Snow White and Prince Charming gathered the dwarves, Red Riding Hood, Granny, Jiminy Cricket, Geppeto, along with a few castle guards to discuss the threat made by Regina and Natalie._

 _"I say we fight!" Charming yelled, slamming his fist on the table._

 _"Fighting is a bad idea. Giving into one's dark side never accomplished anything," Jiminy said._

 _"And how many wars has a clear conscience won?" Charming shot back, "We need to take the queen and princess out, before they can inflict the curse."_

 _"Can we even trust Rumplestiltskin?" Doc asked._

 _Before this meeting, Snow and Charming went to see Rumplestiltskin, The Dark One, about the queen and princess. He told them that they created a powerful curse, and the only one that can stop it was Snow's unborn child._

 _"I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with their plan. This is going to happen unless we do something."_

 _"There's no point, the future is written," Snow said._

 _"No," Charming said, looking back at his wife. "I refuse to believe that, good can't just lose."_

 _"Maybe it can," Snow said sounding defeated._

 _"No, no, it can't not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse, then you must believe him about our child. She will be the savior."_

 _Suddenly, the doors slammed open, and more castle guards stomped into the room, pulling what looked like a tree behind them._

 _"What the hell is this?" Charming asked._

 _The blue fairy then came floating down into the room._

 _"Our only hope of saving the child," she said._

 _"A tree? Our fate rests on a tree? Let's get back to the fighting thing," Grumpy growled._

 _"The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel it can ward off any curse," She said and looked over to Geppeto, "Geppeto, can you build such a thing?"_

 _"Me and my boy, we can do it," he said, patting young Pinocchio's head._

 _"This will work. We all must have faith." Blue said confidently._

 _Snow grabbed Charming's hand, and they looked at each other with huge smiles. They may actually escape this curse. Blue, however, dropped her smile,_

 _"There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is indeed powerful, but all power has its limits, and this tree can protect only one."_

 _Suddenly, the room fell silent, as if all the hope had been ripped away from this joyous moment._

* * *

Natalie blinked her eyes, realizing that she'd been daydreaming. Now she was daydreaming this stuff? Standing up from her desk, she walked to the window in her room and looked at the night sky. She noticed a yellow bug pull up in front of the house, and Henry got out with a blonde woman wearing a red leather jacket.

Natalie bolted out of her room and downstairs, where Regina was sitting at the dining room table, her head in her hands.

"Mom, Henry's back!" Natalie yelled.

Regina immediately jumped up from the table and ran to the window to see. There was Henry in his black coat and red scarf talking to a blonde woman in a red leather jacket. She could hear slightly what they were talking about.

"I'm sure your parents are worried about you," the woman said.

"I don't have parents, just a mom and a sister, and they're evil," Henry replied.

Hearing that made both Regina and Natalie feel like a dagger was just plunged into their hearts. Henry thought they were evil; it was true in the fairytale world, but why did he think that now?

"Evil, that's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"They are. They don't love me; they only pretend to," he said.

Natalie couldn't listen to this anymore. She and her mother loved Henry with ever fiber of their beings and to hear him say otherwise was torture.

Regina got Sheriff Graham from the other room, while Natalie flung the door open,

"Henry?"

They both ran outside and embraced Henry in a massive hug, which he didn't return.

Regina's voice cracked,

"Oh, Henry."

"Are you OK?" Natalie asked, looking him over.

"Where have you been? What happened?" Regina asked.

"I found my REAL mom," he said, shoving past them and running into the house.

Regina looked appalled to hear that, and she looked at Emma in shock.

"Y-Your Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi," Emma replied nervously.

"I'll just go check on the lad, and make sure he's all right," Graham said, heading back into the house.

"I'll come with you," Natalie said.

"Actually, Natty, why don't you stay?" Regina said and looked back at Emma, "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?" Emma asked.

Regina got the apple cider from the kitchen as well as three glasses for her, Natalie, and Emma. She brought it back into the dining room, and began pouring it.

"How did he even find me?" Emma asked.

"No idea. When Natalie and I went to adopt him, he was only three weeks old. The records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

"You were told right."

"And the father?" Natalie asked, taking one of the glasses.

"There was one," Emma replied

"Do I need to be worried about him?" Regina asked rather irritably.

"Nope, he doesn't even know."

Regina walked over to Emma, handing her the glass,

"Do I need to worry about you, Miss Swan?"

"Absolutely not."

At that moment, Graham walked back downstairs,

"Madame Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."

"Thank you Sheriff," Regina smiled. "Natty, would you please go check on Henry?"

"Of course mom," she replied, setting down her drink. She stuck her hand out to Emma,

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Swan."

"You too," Emma said, shaking her hand.

Natalie then walked upstairs and stopped outside Henry's bedroom. She was reluctant, at first, but then opened the door to see her little brother curled up on his bed.

"Hey kiddo, you doing all right?" she asked sweetly. Henry didn't even stir which made Natalie frown, and she sat at the foot of his bed.

"Henry...you really don't think mom and me are evil do you?" she asked. Henry just continued to sit there, not saying a word. Natalie looked at the floor, disappointed that she couldn't get him to respond.

"Well…if you need anything, you know where to find me," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

She then made her way out of his bedroom and closed the door softly. Still frowning, she went back to her room and got dressed for bed. She ditched the skirt and put on a pair of pajama shorts, and climbed into bed. For a while, she lay there thinking about why Henry suddenly thought that she and Regina were evil. He never thought that before.

* * *

The next morning, she woke up stretching her arms and legs. For the first time in a while now she didn't have dreams about home. That was a little strange, because she had been so used to it. She proceeded to her closet and changed into a pair of black yoga pants, a red t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Black and red were truly her favorite colors, truthfully she wanted to wear it all the time, but her mother insisted on her wearing more than two colors. Afterwards, she proceeded downstairs to see her mother already in her coat and shoes with the car keys.

"Going somewhere, mom?" she asked.

"Yes we are, Henry's run away again," Regina replied, clearly frustrated.

Natalie sighed in annoyance,

"Again, really? I wonder where to this time. What's up with him lately?"

"I have no idea." Regina answered, "Grab a bagel from the kitchen; we're leaving in five minutes."

Natalie nodded, as she walked into the kitchen where a bagel with cream cheese awaited her. Her mother knew her so well. Natalie smiled, before she began nibbling on the bagel. She walked out the front door and stepped into the black Mercedes that her mother drove.

"So, where are we going?" she asked with her mouth full.

"Natty, don't talk with food in your mouth," Regina corrected, "It's not very lady like."

Natalie immediately swallowed the bagel, and wiped her face with the napkin she swiped from the kitchen. She smiled apologetically,

"Sorry, mom."

Regina smiled back,

"You know I love you right?"

Natalie only giggled,

"Of course."

Soon, they pulled up to the sheriff station and made their way inside, where Graham was talking to Emma, who was locked in a cell.

"Graham, Henry's run away again. We have to..." Regina attempted to finish but stopped in her tracks by the sight of Emma. "What is she doing here? Do you know where he is?"

"Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your place, and I have a pretty good alibi." she said, gesturing to the jail cell.

"Yeah, well, he wasn't in his room this morning."

"Did you try his friends?" Emma asked.

"He doesn't really have any," Natalie explained, "He's kind of a loner."

"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them."

"And you know this how?" Regina asked curiously.

"Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea, you let me go, and I'll help you find him."

Later, everyone was back in Henry's room looking through his computer, trying to find anything that may tell them were he had gone.

"Smart kid. He cleared out his inbox. I'm smart too," Emma said pulling out a small hard drive, " A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use."

"I'm a bit more old fashioned in my techniques: pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing." Graham replied.

"You're on salary, I get paid for delivery," she said as the hard disk scanned through the computer. "Pounding the pavement is not a luxury I get."

Soon a small beep was heard, and the hard drive found them what they needed.

"Huh, there's a receipt for a website. It's expensive, he has a credit card?" Emma inquired.

"He's ten," Regina answered.

"What about her?" Emma pointed to Natalie, who showed her a credit card,

"Mine is right here. Plus, I'm responsible with money, and wouldn't just give it to anyone, especially Henry."

"Well, he used one," Emma stated, looking back at the screen, "Let's pull up a transaction record. 'Mary Margaret Blanchard'…who is Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

Regina and Natalie glowered, infuriated by the name.

"Henry's teacher." Regina gumbled.

* * *

A little later, Regina and Natalie walked into a classroom and saw Mary Margaret Blanchard to one of her students. At least, Mary Margaret Blanchard was what she called herself. Having no memory of who she truly was resulted from the curse that The Evil Queen and her daughter cast, thus Mary Margaret Blanchard didn't remember that she was Snow White. But Regina and Natalie remember and still loathe the sight of her. However, Snow White's unpretentious position as teacher along with her humble attire was a tad satisfying for the wicked royals. They impatiently approached her, and shocked the meek schoolteacher,

"Miss Mills, Natalie, what are you two doing here?"

"Where's my son?" Regina demanded.

"Henry?" Mary queried, "I thought he was home sick with you."

"Do you think we would be here if he was?" Natalie snapped.

"Did you give him your credit card so he could find her?" Regina gestured to Emma.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mary Margaret asked Emma.

"I'm his...I'm his..." she started to say.

"The woman who gave him up for adoption." Regina said.

Mary Margaret began digging in her purse, when Emma spoke up again,

"You don't know anything about this, do you?"

"No, I don't," she replied. Searching through her purse, she did notice that one of her credit cards was missing. "Clever boy. I never should have given him that book."

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina yelled.

"Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy…so smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it." Mary Margaret said to which Regina impatiently sighed,

"What he needs is a dose of reality."

"Come on mom, this is a waste of time." Natalie said, stomping to the door.

Regina turned and walked out of the room, knocking down a stack of books as she went past Emma. "Have a nice trip back to Boston."

* * *

 _The sounds of Snow White screaming could be heard throughout the kingdom. Her child was coming now and so was the curse. If she had the baby now, then all hope for the plan of escaping with her daughter was lost._

 _Regina and Natalie were in the carriage that was rushing towards Snow White and Prince Charming's castle. The dark clouds of the curse were not far behind them, as their black knights sped along side them._

 _Regina was wearing another one of her black dresses, one with a cloak with black and red feathers embroided into it. Her hair was in a bun with red feathers sticking from it, making it seem as if her hair was on fire. Natalie also wore a black dress, however, hers had black and red diamonds emboided into it, and her hair was in a french braid that hung over her shoulder and also had black and red diamonds embedded in it._

 _Soon, the carriage came to a stop outside the castle walls. Regina and Natalie could hear Snow screaming. Their wicked smiles showed that they reveled in Snow's pain._

 _"Today, we finally win," Regina viciously smirked._

 _"Yes, indeed," Natalie spitefully agreed._

 _Both of them exited the carriage and walked through the castle door._

 _The newborn's cries were the happiest thing that ever graced Snow and Charming's ears. Their new daughter, Emma, was all bundled up in Snow's arms, when suddenly…Snow realized what this meant for them,_

 _"The wardrobe. It only takes one."_

 _Immediately, the sounds of a struggle crashed outside their bedroom. It was clear…there was no more time._

 _"Then our plan has failed," Charming sadly concluded, "at least we're together."_

 _There was only one thing to do…and as much as Snow White didn't want to do it; it must be done. She handed the baby to Charming,_

 _"No. You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe."_

 _"Are you insane?!" he cried_

 _"No, we have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to give her best chance."_

 _Charming looked into his wife's eyes and knew she was right. He leaned down and kissed his daughter's forehead, and Snow did the same._

 _"Goodbye Emma," Snow said on the verge of tears._

 _Charming took the baby, walked to the door, and grabbed his sword. Briefly he looked back at Snow…before he ran off to the wardrobe._

 _Not too long after leaving, Charming was facing two black Knights with Emma still in his grasp. The Knights continued to slash their swords. One nearly struck Emma, but Charming still blocked each and blow, until he defeated the Knights. He entered Emma's nursery and placed her in the magic wardrobe, before he kissed her forehead one last time._

 _"Find us," were his last words, before he closed the wardrobe. Just then, two more Knights charged into the nursery. One of the foes stuck his blade into Charming's abdomen, and he collapsed to the ground, dead._

 _Regina and Natalie strolled through the wreckage of the castle halls, surveying the damage. Banners and paintings burned above the guards' corpses; their blood staining the floors of the palace they tried to protect. These casualties of war, though somewhat satisfying, were nothing compared to seeing Snow try to wake her husband with a kiss._

 _"Oh, don't worry dear," Regina said stepping into the room with Natalie behind her, "in a few moments you won't even remember you knew him."_

 _"Let alone loved him," Natalie smirked evilly._

 _Tears were trickling down Snow's cheeks, as she whispered,_

 _"Why did you do this?"_

 _"Because this is our happy ending." Regina snarled._

 _Two black knights soon entered the room, and Regina's snarl became a wicked smile,_

 _"The child?"_

 _"Gone, it was in the wardrobe, then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found."_

 _"You idiots!" Natalie growled at them and glared at Snow, "Where is she?"_

 _Now, Snow smiled, despite her tears,_

 _"She got away. You're going to lose. I know now, good will always win."_

 _"We'll see about that." Regina chuckled._

 _Dark shadows and whistling winds began to rip the room apart._

 _"Where are we going?" Snow asked_

 _"Somewhere horrible," Natalie replied._

 _"Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending...will be ours," Regina said, placing her arm around Natalie, as the world went black._

* * *

Emma and Henry walked up to the Mills mansion, where Regina and Natalie stood, waiting. Henry ignored them again by running into the house. Regina watched, as Henry ran up the stairs to his room, before she turned back to Emma.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"No problem," Emma replied.

"He seems to have taken quite a shine to you," Natalie said.

Emma chuckled a bit at that,

"You know what's kinda crazy? Yesterday was my birthday, and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself…I actually made a wish that I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then, Henry showed up."

"I hope there is no misunderstanding." Regina said.

Emma sounded confused,

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't mistake all this as an invitation back into his life," Natalie sharply clarified for Emma.

"Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago," Regina hissed, "And for the last decade while you've been, well, who knows what you've been doing; I have changed every diaper, soothed ever fever, endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is my son."

"I was not..."

"No, you don't get to speak. You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you are going to be held to that. So I suggest you get back in your car, and you leave this town, because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye Miss Swan." Regina growled.

"Do you love him?"

Regina frowned at Emma,

"Excuse me?"

"Henry...do you love him?"

"Of course I love him."

With that, Regina closed the door.

The only ones left on the front lawn were Emma and Natalie. Natalie's expression screamed, 'awkward'. Emma looked at Natalie, who did the same.

"Wow, I think you've unleashed the full storm, Miss Swan. My mother will stop at nothing to ensure that you are gone for good...and neither will I."

"Wait, what?" Emma asked.

"You heard me," She growled, "You have two choices, Miss Swan. Leave now and continue to live your life in whatever way you do, or stay and receive our wrath."

It was disturbing to see how easily Natalie's expression shifted from evil to civil. Her smile, although attractive, was insincere. Natalie sashayed past Emma, before lingering in the doorway.

"Oh, and don't let another sign hit you on the way out," Natalie's smile quickly became a sneer, "...on second thought, let it hit you."

Natalie slammed the door. She wandered into the living room to see her mother holding Henry's book, while standing in front of the mirror.

"Is she gone?" Regina asked.

"Yes mom, and I believe she won't be coming back," Natalie smirked evilly, "I said that she can either leave, or she deals with us."

Regina walked to Natalie, and lifted up her chin. Shortly after, Regina grinned,

"That's my evil little girl."


	3. The Thing You Love Most

**Just a little idea of what Natalie looks like, I thought she would look like Chloe Grace Moretz.**

 **Disclaimer: I do no own any characters or themes from Once Upon A Time. The only thing that I own is my OC Natalie.**

 **Chapter 2: The Thing You Love Most**

Natalie awoke early in the morning and quickly got to getting ready for the long day of school she was about to experience. She made her way to her closet and picked out her school uniform and went into the bathroom to shower. After her shower, she dried and braided her long gold blonde hair, brushed her teeth, and got dressed in her school uniform. When she left the bathroom she passed by Henry's room and heard her mother talking to Henry.

"The missing pages, where are they?" her mother asked sternly.

"It's an old book, stuff's missing what do you care"

"I care because you think that Natalie and I are evil, and that hurts Henry, she's your sister and I'm your mother" Regina said sounding sincere.

"No your not" he replied.

"Well then who is, that woman you brought here? I don't like what she and this book are doing to you, and thankfully both are no longer an issue"

Henry didn't say anything after that, he just a knowing look on his face that Regina seemed to notice.

"What?" she growled.

DONG. Just then she was stopped in her tracks by the ringing of a bell that she knew was in the clock tower in the town square. She looked out the window and noticed that the old clock tower was indeed working again. How could that be? That bell has not rung in the past 28 years and the clock has not moved either. However, it was apparent that both of which had started to work again, which could only mean one thing...the curse was weakening.

Henry left Regina in his room and ran out into the hallway, nearly crashing into Natalie who had grabbed his shoulders to slow him down.

"Whoa slow down there sport, why are you in such a rush?" she asked kindly.

"I was gonna head over to Granny's, you wanna come too?" he asked.

"I don't know Henry, we have school" she retorted.

"Yeah but school isn't for two hours still, come one Natty we don't really do anything anymore" he pleaded.

Henry was right, he and Natalie haven't had many opportunities to just hang out and be a brother and sister. So what other choice did Natalie have. So she just smiled and placed a hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Alright let me just get my bag and we can go" she said happily.

Henry smiled so wide it looked as though his head may actually fall off. Finally he was getting his chance to spend time with his sister. Mainly the whole point of this little gathering was a means to try and see if his sister truly wasn't as evil as he once believed.

Natalie turned and started walking back to her room to grab her school bag when she passed Henry's room and saw her mother just standing there, staring out the window. She quietly made her way into the room and to her mothers side.

"Whats wrong mom" she asked

Regina just continued to stare out the window at the clock tower in the town center. Natalie could sense something strange was going on but never really quite understood what it may be. She slowly made her way to her mothers side and looked out the window. Immediately, her eyes widened in shock when she noticed that the clock tower in the town square was no longer frozen at 8:15.

"It's happening, isn't it?" she asked looking at her mother worriedly.

Regina snapped out of her trance and stared back at her daughter. "Yes, I believe it is...the curse is weakening"

"So what do we do?" Natalie asked nervously.

Regina thought for a moment about what their course of action should be and then it hit her.

"We should pick some apples" she smiled. Natalie looked confused.

"Why?" she asked. Regina looked back out the window.

"For a little peace offering to Miss Swan" she replied coldly.

Natalie and Regina made their way out of the house and down to the town hall. Once they stepped out of the car they made their way to the back, where Regina's apple tree stood. They both began picking a few apples and dropping them into a basket. When they were finished, Regina smiled triumphantly.

"I think this will be enough" she smirked.

Natalie smiled as well. "I hope so. Soon Emma Swan will be nothing more than yesterdays trash"

Regina turned to her daughter and smiled wickedly at how her daughter was so much like her.

"Indeed she will. Now I believe that you were going to meet Henry at Granny's". Natalie raised a brow.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I know everything sweetheart you know that" Regina replied. Natalie smiled.

"Of course mom"

Natalie then walked off towards town while her mother made her way to the bed and breakfast to finally rid them of Emma Swan.

* * *

 _"We shall destroy your happiness...if it is the last thing we do" Natalie growled._

 _With that she and Regina made their way to the doors._

 _"HEY" Charming shouted._

 _Regina and Natalie turned to see Charming hurl his sword at them. Before it could hit them, a purple smoke engulfed them and they vanished from sight._

 _The purple smoke re-appeared back at the Evil Queen's castle and Charming's sword shot through and stuck itself in the wall. Natalie and Regina appeared and were greeted by Regina's father and Natalie's grandfather, Henry._

 _"Would you like something to drink" he asked politely, holding a tray with two chalices on it._

 _"Do I look like I need a drink" Regina snapped._

 _"I was only trying to help" he said, looking to the tray._

 _Regina grabbed one of the drinks from the tray. "Thank you" she said apologetically._

 _Natalie grabbed the other drink and kissed her grandfather on the cheek. "Thank you grandpa"_

 _Regina, Natalie, and Henry made their way to Regina's bed chambers and were greeted by her magic mirror._

 _"Well that was an awfully big threat. Take away everyone's happiness. How do you plan to accomplish such a task?" the mirror asked._

 _An evil smile made its way to Regina's face. "A dark curse" she said maniacally._

 _The mirror and Henry both became shocked at the idea. They were well aware of the dangers of this curse._

 _"Are you certain, your majesty?" Henry asked nervously._

 _"You said you would never use it" the mirror said frantically._

 _"You made an agreement when you traded it away. She won't be happy to see you or Natalie" Henry said_

 _Regina shot him a glare that made him deathly nervous. "Since when do I care for anyone's happiness but mine and my daughters" she asked looking back at her daughter._

 _Natalie walked to her mothers side and wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you mother" she said kindly. Her mother was the only one that Natalie showed any sort of kindness and compassion to._

 _Regina smiled at her daughter and kissed the top of her head. "You are most welcome, sweetheart" she said._

 _Regina then looked back at her father and re-gained her evil smile._

 _"Prepare the carriage. We're going to the Forbidden Fortress"_

* * *

 _(The Forbidden Fortress)_

 _Natalie sat next to her mother on an elegant black couch, across from Maleficent, her mothers friend. Maleficent had blonde hair that was curled up and she was wearing an extravagant purple dress._

 _"How are you doing dears" Maleficent asked them._

 _"We're doing fine" Natalie replied kindly._

 _"Are you? If it were me I'd be tortured watching that flake of Snow so happy. Regina, weren't you about the same age when you were to be married before she ruined it all, yes you were" Maleficent said, in a mocking way._

 _"Yes and I believe it was also the same age you were...when that Sleeping Beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent" Regina said equally mocking._

 _This didn't seem to hurt Maleficent at all, in fact she seemed a bit happy._

 _"I have moved on so too will you, hopefully"_

 _"Enough games. You know why me and Natalie are hear. I need my curse back" Regina stated._

 _"It's not yours anymore, a deals a deal. I traded you my sleeping curse" Maleficent replied._

 _"Which failed, undone by a simple kiss" Natalie said_

 _Maleficent shot a glare at Natalie, who only smirked back. Maleficent had no love for Natalie. She thought she was disrespectful and didn't deserve to be in her presence._

 _"Now please return what's mine" Regina said._

 _"The dark curse, really? You should know that not even its unholy power can bring your fiance and father back from the dead. Have either of you considered a pet? They can be so comforting. Or perhaps find comfort in each other" Maleficent said, petting the black unicorn next to her._

 _Regina's face showed signs of irritation with Maleficent._

 _"The only comfort my daughter and I need is Snow Whites suffering"_

 _"Well it's her wedding night I doubt she's suffering."_

 _"I need that curse, I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff" Regina said looking at Maleficent's staff._

 _"Hidden for the good of all, my friends. Whoever created that monstrosity makes the three of us look completely...moral. Who did give it to you" Maleficent asked._

 _Natalie was the first to stand and stand next to the fireplace._

 _"Where we got it doesn't concern you" she said sternly. For a 15 year old girl, Natalie seemed quite fearsome._

 _Regina followed her daughters lead and walked over to the fireplace, causing the fire to become bigger._

 _"Now hand it back" Regina said forcefully._

 _"Must we do this" Maleficent asked_

 _"Alas we must" Regina said._

 _With that Regina and Natalie both created a fire ball in their hands from the fireplace. Maleficent saw this and leapt across the room. Regina and Natalie fused their fireballs together and created a giant one, which they threw at Maleficent. Maleficent blocked the attack with her staff and Regina lifted all the swords, daggers, and axes off the wall, aiming them at Maleficent's unicorn._

 _"NOOO" Maleficent screamed._

 _Regina threw the weapons at the unicorn but Maleficent jumped in front of it and deflected the oncoming weapons. While doing this, Natalie flicked her wrist at the chandelier over Maleficent causing it to fall. Using her magic she twisted the iron rings so they were constricting Maleficent and threw her against the wall, pinning her to it. Regina had a wicked smile on her face and was pleased at how good her daughter was at using her dark magic._

 _"That's my girl" she said putting an arm around her daughter. Natalie grabbed Maleficent's staff and handed it to her mother._

 _"Love is weakness Maleficent, I thought you knew that. But love forged from evil stays forever" Natalie said_

 _"If your going to kill me, kill me" Maleficent growled._

 _"Why would we do that, your our only friend" Regina said smugly._

 _Don't do this. This curse, there are lines even we shouldn't cross." Maleficent pleaded._

 _Regina completely ignored everything she was saying and smashed the glass orb above the staff to the ground, shattering it. A small scroll rolled out and Natalie quickly snatched it up._

 _"All magic comes with a price. Enacting it will take a terrible toll"_

 _Regina unfolded the scroll and she and Natalie looked at it, focusing on their task._

 _"It will leave an emptiness inside you both. A void that neither of you will fill"_

 _"Then so be it" Regina and Natalie said in unison._

 _With that Regina put an arm around Natalie and they both proceeded out the door and back to their castle._

* * *

 _A small group of creatures gathered around a fire in the dark forest. There was a small menacing looking gnome, a giant, a blind witch, and variety of other dark creatures. At the head of the gathering was Regina and Natalie, who were accompanied by Henry carrying a sack of all the ingredients for the curse._

 _"Who among us is tired of losing" Regina asked looking out at the circle of creature. Each one of them remained silent, but focused. "That's why I've called you hear. To put an end to our misery"_

 _Loud screeching could be heard throughout the dark forest as one by one Natalie dropped the ingredients into the fire and Regina continued her speech._

 _"Today we claim victory, and move to a new better realm. A place where we can finally win"_

 _"And we'll be happy?" the blind witch spoke up._

 _Regina looked at her with a menacing smile. "I guarantee it" she stated boldly. "But first I need something from each of you...a lock of hair from those with the darkest souls"_

 _Everyone looked around at each other confusedly and then back at Regina. "You must trust us" Natalie piped in. "Otherwise there are...other ways" she smiled wickedly._

 _Regina and Natalie smiled and raised their hands and the trees began to move. Bending and twisting in a menacing and intimidating way. Without hesitation, each person removed a lock of hair and placed it in a bucket that Regina was walking around them with._

 _"All that remains is the final ingredient" Regina looked to Henry who opened a silver chest containing a heart. "A prized heart, from my childhood steed"_

 _Regina picked up the heart and gazed at it, then looked back at the crowd. "A glorious beast who's passing shall fuel our victory. Let my wrath be unleashed" Regina growled and threw the heart into the fire._

 _A dark cloud began to rise in the form of a tornado. Everyone, except Regina and Natalie, began to look on in fear and also relieve. Finally they were going to win. Regina grabbed Natalie's hand and they both looked to the sky with smiles on their faces. Suddenly the cloud disappeared and everyone looked on in shock, not knowing what happened._

 _The little gnome then burst out laughing at Regina and Natalie. "Yeah you really unleashed something there" he mocked, pointing at them and laughing._

 _Natalie became angry at him and flicked her wrist, turning him to stone. Then she and Regina walked off angrily to find out what went wrong._

* * *

Henry and Natalie walked into Granny's dinner and sat at a nearby booth. Ruby, who always wore the smallest and tightest clothing, came up to the two and asked them what they would like.

"I'll have two hot cocoas with cinnamon" he told her. Natalie looked at him as if he was crazy.

"I don't think mom would want you having that much sugar Henry" she scolded.

"Ones for me and the other is for my mom" he responded.

"What do you mean..." she noticed Ruby was still standing over them "I'll just have some water" she sighed.

Ruby wrote down the orders and left, leaving Henry and Natalie to finish their conversation.

"What do you mean for mom Henry, she's at the office working"

"No I mean my _real_ mom" he emphasized. Natalie's eyes immediately turned hateful.

"Henry, that woman is not your mother. On paper she might be but our mom has taken care of you since you were born." she tried reasoning with him. "Why can't you see that"

"She never really cared she only pretended to. She's trying to ruin me like she ruined you with dark magic. She was always evil but...I never really thought you were"

Natalie immediately forgot the anger she felt and it was replaced with joy and a little sadness.

"You don't think I'm evil" she asked. Henry grabbed her hand from across the table.

"No I don't. Your my sister Natty, my real sister no matter what. I will always see good in you" he replied with a smile.

Natalie's eyes started to water a bit and she hugged her brother. Moments later they were interrupted when Emma cleared her throat causing them to look up at her.

"Don't you two have school" she asked.

"Duh were kids. Walk us?" Henry asked.

Emma escorted the kids out the door and off to school. The whole time she kept glancing at Natalie. She was a little suspicious of her because of the threat she made when she last saw her. Nevertheless though, Henry loved her that much so she tried to put on a good face.

* * *

 _Regina had been pacing around her bedchamber ever since the curse failed. Everything she needed was there, so what went wrong? Natalie was sitting on the plush sofa next to the fireplace, watching her mother pace._

 _"Mother," Natalie finally said, "we'll figure this out, but right now, you need sleep."_

 _It's true, Regina hadn't slept for two days trying to figure out the curse._

 _"I can't just stop now, dear, not when we're so close," Regina continued to pace._

 _Natalie was getting extremely worried for her mother's well being. She was leading herself down a path of destruction, worrying about this curse. Natalie wanted the curse to work as much as her mother, but Natalie knew that her mother's hatred of Snow White would make her crazy._

 _Just then an idea came to Natalie,_

 _"If you are so worried about the curse, then you need to go back to the same person who gave it to you?"_

 _Regina stopped pacing, as she heard this and thought about it. He was all locked up in his cell, guarded round the clock. A shapeshifting spell would allow her to get in, and no one would be the wiser._

 _"That is a great idea, darling. I'll be back soon," she said, making her way to the door._

 _Natalie jumped up and followed her mother,_

 _"I'll come to."_

 _Regina quickly turned and looked at her daughter,_

 _"No, Natalie, I'm going alone."_

 _"What! But I want to help, mother," she complained._

 _"I know you do, dear, but I can't let you come. It's for your own safety, you know how dangerous he is."_

 _Natalie looked down at her feet in defeat and nodded. Regina lifted her daughter's chin, and looked straight into her eyes. Smiling, Regina kissed Natalie's forehead._

 _"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be back soon, and we will finally win," The queen said._

 _Regina pulled her daughter into a massive hug, which she happily returned. Then Regina walked out of her bedroom to find the one man who could help with this curse._

* * *

 _A lone figure sat in his cell, looking out at the empty cave...but he knew he wasn't alone. His foresight had revealed that someone was coming to visit. This wouldn't be a friendly meeting, since no one came to Rumpelstiltskin without a reason. After all, he was The Dark One, the most dangerous man in all of the realms. Dark magic personified, Rumplestiltskin's appearance was as menacing as his power. Gray, scaly skin, ragged hair, and a slender physique would've made him look weak, if it weren't for his crocodile leather clothing or his eyes. They were the eyes of a serpent, ever eager to find its next victim._

 _He approached the bars of his cell and grasped them, staring at the rats scurrying on the ground._

 _"It's just us, dearie. You can show yourself," he cooed._

 _One of the rats ran off into the corner and was engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke. Regina now stood where it once did. Rumple gave her a menacing smile, as she approached his cell._

 _"That curse you gave me...it's not working," she said, irritated._

 _"Oooh, so worried, so, so worried. Like Snow and her lovely new husband," he said giddily._

 _Regina looked at him angrily,_

 _"What?"_

 _"They paid me a visit as well. They were very anxious about you...and the curse," he said maniacally._

 _"And what did you tell them?" Regina wondered._

 _"The truth! That nothing can stop the darkness"_

 _At the sound of this Regina smiled evilly._

 _"Except of course their unborn child," Rumple added, "You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken."_

 _His wickedly satisfied smile revealed his rotting teeth._

 _"Their child is the key. Of course, the curse has to be enacted first," he reminded her._

 _"Tell me what I did wrong."_

 _"Well, for that there is a price," he said._

 _With Rumple, everything came with a price. He always got the better end of the deal._

 _"What do you want?" Regina asked with irritation._

 _"Simple! In this new land...I want comfort. I want a good life."_

 _"Fine, you'll have an estate. Be rich."_

 _"I wasn't finished!" Rumple snapped, "There's more."_

 _"There always is with you" she retorted._

 _"In this new land, should I ever come to you for anything; you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say, so long as I say...please," he laughed._

 _"You do know that should I succeed; you won't remember any of this."_

 _"Well, then, what's the harm?" he mocked._

 _Regina smiled, thinking that this was a simple task._

 _"Deal," Then she donned a more serious look, "What must I do to enact this curse?"_

 _"You must sacrifice a heart."_

 _"I sacrificed my prized steed."_

 _Rumple lunged and grasped her neck through the bars._

 _"A horse? This is the curse to end all curses! You think a horse is going to do?!" he growled._

 _"Tell me what will suffice."_

 _"The heart of the thing you love most," he hissed._

 _Regina shook herself from his hold, looking at him in surprise. She needed the heart of what she loved most. The queen knew what that meant...and she could never do it._

 _"No, I can't do that. What I love most is my daughter, and I will never do that to her," she said sadly._

" _Well, why ever not?" Rumple asked in false confusion._

 _Regina was on the brink of tears,_

" _I've lost too much! I can't lose her too."_

 _"Well, maybe, you don't have to, dearie," Rumple replied._

 _Regina looked back at him confusedly,_

 _"What do you mean? You said I need the heart of what I love most, and that...is my daughter."_

 _"Are you sure? Is there no one else you truly love?" Rumple said in fake sympathy._

 _Regina considered it for a moment. There was one other person she loved as much of her daughter, but she couldn't do that either._

 _"This curse isn't gonna be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie. You must ask yourself a simple question. How far are you willing to go?"_

 _Regina leaned in till they were just inches from each other._

 _"As far as it takes," she replied._

 _"Then, please, stop wasting everyone's time and just do it. You know what you love...now go kill it," he said nastily._

 _Regina growled at Rumple one last time, before she disappeared in purple smoke. She knew that there was one other person, beside her daughter, whom she loved dearly. Better him than her daughter._

* * *

After quite a hectic day, Natalie and Henry headed towards town hall. First, Regina tried to get Emma out of Storybrooke, but she refused to leave. Then Emma got arrested for 'stealing' Dr. Hopper's files on Henry. Finally, Mary Margaret bailed Emma out, and she took it upon herself to cut off a part of Regina's apple tree, causing a massive argument between the two of them.

Henry and Natalie hiked up the stairs and down the hall to their mother's office, where they heard, what sounded like, another discussion between Regina and Emma.

"I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here," Regina said.

"That's right I do," Emma responded.

"And that your hear to take my son from me."

"Ok, let's be clear: I have no intention to take him from anyone."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I know I'm not a mother; I think that's pretty self evident. But I did have him, and I can't help that he got into my head, and I want to make sure he's ok," Emma replied sincerely, "The more you try to push me out; the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how troubled he is."

At this, Henry and Natalie traded confused looks, before peering into the office.

"You think he's troubled?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, he thinks everyone in town is a fairytale character," Emma answered.

"And you don't?"

"How can I? The poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality, and it's crazy."

Henry and Natalie immediately stepped into the doorway. The pain of betrayal filled Henry's face,

"You think I'm crazy?"

Emma spun around. Her eyes grew in shock, as she realized that...he had heard her. Henry ran into the hall. Emma looked at Natalie,

"How long was he there?"

"Long enough," Natalie coldly stated. Emma turned back and glared at Regina,

"You knew they'd be here, didn't you?"

"Did I know that my son and daughter come to my office everyday at five p.m. so I can take them to dinner before Henry's therapy session?" Regina smirked, "Of course I did. I'm their _mother."_

The last sentence hissed through Regina's teeth. Emma looked back at Natalie, who only shook her head, as she ran after Henry. Regina just smiled and leaned back in her chair,

"Your move."

Regina's gloating smirk became a death glare. Emma gaped, almost at a loss for words...almost,

"You have no soul! How the hell did you get like this?!"

No answer came, as Emma stomped out of the office.

* * *

 _High heels clicked on the floor, as Princess Natalie rushed through the castle. Waiting for her mother was making Natalie frantic! Rumpelstiltskin was dangerous. What if something went wrong? Natalie should've gone with Regina. No, no, no, the princess obeyed the queen. Regina took care of herself before Natalie was born, which meant that Regina could take care of herself now, but still..._

 _Maybe Natalie should talk to her grandfather, Henry; he always knew how to soothe her. The last time she saw him was in Regina's bedchamber. He mentioned tidying the room and lighting a fire, along with a couple of candles, so Regina's room would be clean, warm, and bright. This way, Regina would have a safe place to rest and recover, especially after visiting that vermin, Rumpelstiltskin._

 _Natalie smiled. She adored Henry for many reasons, but especially these two: his kindness and his wisdom. Her grandfather had the uncanny ability to provide comfort and stability, while knowing the right answer to any problem. If anything, Henry was the heart of the family...as well as the conscience._

 _Thinking about her grandfather did calm her nerves, but that didn't help Natalie make a decision. Her mother hadn't returned. Something needed to be done. The princess continued to fidget with indecision. Yes, Regina had told Natalie to stay home, but that was when the queen was seeing Rumpelstiltskin. Could Natalie go to her mother, as she returned from The Dark One's prison? That might be a gray area between outright disobedience and obedience. Where was the harm?_

 _The princess stepped toward one of her mother's mirrors. A ghostly face appeared in the looking glass, as Natalie demanded,_

 _"Take me to Rumpelstiltskin."_

 _"Forgive me, your highness," The mirror began, "But your mother said-"_

 _"I know what she said, but that was before she disappeared. Take me to The Dark One now!"_

 _The mirror's face visibly paled. Finally, he closed his eyes in acquiescence,_

 _"Your wish is my command, Princess Natalie."_

 _With that, the tall looking glass became a portal which Natalie entered. That same portal opened outside of Rumpelstiltskin's prison cell._

 _"You're not supposed to be here, dearie," He sang. Natalie shuddered. A man once said, 'You must be always on your guard,' and this was certainly true for The Dark One. Squaring her shoulders, the princess glowered at the gold spinner._

 _"Where is my mother?" Natalie hissed._

 _Rumpelstiltskin shrugged,_

 _"If your mother won't tell you her whereabouts, then why should I?"_

 _There he goes. Regina had mentioned that Rumpelstiltskin liked playing mind end goal was to obfuscate his victims in order to trick them into doing exactly what he wanted._

 _Stay focused, Natalie reminded herself._

 _"You shouldn't have left home," He continued._

 _"You haven't answered my question," Natalie huffed._

 _"But I did."_

 _Natalie started to argue, but then considered what he said. You shouldn't have left home...had the queen returned to the castle? If so, then she wouldn't be in danger...right?_

 _"What do you mean?" The princess finally asked, because she was tired of trying to figure out this madman._

 _The Dark One grinned,_

 _"Don't you ever follow the rules?"_

 _"Get to the point," Natalie sighed_

 _"I am. Don't ever follow the rules?"_

 _"That has nothing to do with my mother!"_

 _"But it does, precious, it most certainly does. What rule did our dear Regina make for you today?"_

 _A sickening feeling began to wring Natalie's stomach,_

 _"To not come here."_

 _"Right...so what did you do?"_

 _"I came here, but it was to find-"_

 _"-Your mother?" Rumpelstiltskin finished, "You disobeyed her to help her, am I right?"_

 _The princess glared,_

 _"Sometimes that's what it takes to save someone-especially from the likes of you."_

 _"Every choice has a consequence, dearie, and this one you'll regret for the rest of your life."_

 _With that, Rumpelstiltskin giggled. His laughter stopped, as his eyes darkened,_

 _"If you had obeyed Regina, then you would've stayed home, and perhaps...saved his life."_

 _"His life?" Natalie repeated, "What are you-?"_

 _"I assume Regina told you why she came to see me?"_

 _"Yes. I suggested that she ask you what went wrong with the Dark Curse."_

 _This sent Rumpelstiltskin into a fit of hysterical giggles. He sounded like an insane hyena._

 _"You suggested!?" He wheezed, wiping the tears from his eyes, "My, my, my! You'll have many regrets today."_

 _Now, Rumple became serious...deadly serious,_

 _"Are you aware that the Dark Curse_ _can only be activated by using the heart of the thing you love most?"_

 _"I am!" Natalie snapped, "My mother sacrificed her steed, and burned its heart, but the curse failed! That's why she came here!"_

 _"Tell me," was Rumple's eerily calm response, "Whom does Regina love the most?"_

 _His unfeeling voice made Natalie's heart stop; it was barely a second, but it felt like eternity._

 _"Me," She finally whispered._

 _"And who is the other person that she loves the most?"_

 _Natalie choked on her own words,_

 _"My...my grandfather, Henry."_

* * *

 _After visiting Rumpelstiltskin, Regina returned to the castle and stormed through the halls._

 _"What happened? Did you get your answer? What's going on?" the mirror asked._

 _Regina ignored the mirror and continued to storm down the hall._

 _"Your majesty...YOUR MAJESTY!" the mirror all but shouted._

 _Again, she ignored him. Regina walked to her bedchamber, where she found her father, Henry, lighting a few candles. How could she do this? Then again, it was either him...or Natalie._

 _"Did Rumpelstiltskin tell you what you needed to know?" Henry asked, as Regina entered the room._

 _"Yes," she replied quickly._

 _"And?"_

 _"I'm not sure I should say. I'm conflicted," Regina said, looking very nervous._

 _"How bad is it? Maybe I can help," Henry offered._

 _At this, Regina had a look of sheer sadness on her face._

 _"I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most," she finally admitted._

 _"Natalie!" Henry frantically stated, "No, Regina, you mustn't!"_

 _"No, not Natalie...the other thing I love most," was her reply._

 _Realization began to sink in for Henry, as he now knew what she was talking about._

 _"Me," he said sorrowfully._

 _Regina turned to look her father's eyes,_

 _"Daddy, I don't know what to do."_

 _"My dear, please," he stated, walking in her direction, "You don't have to do this."_

 _"But I have to do something," she replied, walking past him._

 _"Then move past this. I know this may sound self-centered, but you don't need to enact the curse," he said_

* * *

 _Natalie realized her mistake. She shouldn't have come here. The princess conjured up a magic mirror._

" _Natalie!" The mirror cried, "Oh, thank goodness!"_

" _What's wrong?"_

" _Your mother! She's going to kill Henry."_

 _A nasty giggle echoed throughout the dungeon, like the laughter of a gleeful ghoul, ready to feast on the dead._

" _Magic mirror, take me home now!" Natalie yelled._

 _Instantly, the mirror opened another portal, and Natalie jumped into it._

 _"But I can't keep living like this," Regina cried, looking right at her father "What Snow did to me and Natalie. What Snow took from us: my fiance, her father. It's eating me alive, daddy," she choked, as tears began to form in her eyes. "Snow White's very existence mocks me...she needs to be punished!"_

 _"But if the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it? Stop worrying about Snow White, and start over. You, me, and Natalie, we can have a new life." He tried to encourage Regina to not finish her diabolical task._

 _"What life is that? All I've worked for; all I've built will be gone. My power will disappear, and so will Natalie's. They already think we are nothing!" Regina hissed_

 _"Power is seductive, but so is love. You can have that again. You have it with Natalie, and you will always have it with me" he calmly reassured her._

 _Regina just looked into her father's eyes, and absorbed what he was saying. Maybe she could have a life again. Her father, then, pulled her into a hug, and Regina began to let the tears flow._

 _"I just want me and my daughter to be happy," she whimpered._

 _"You can be, of this I'm sure. I believe given the chance we can all find happiness together, but the choice is yours," he said, knowing he couldn't make this choice for her._

 _"I think you're right," she said through her tears, "Me and Natalie can be happy."_

 _At this, Henry beamed at his daughter, but Regina's look was one of sorrow and regret._

 _"Just not here," she said_

 _With that, she plunged her fist into her father's chest. Henry's eyes went wide, as Regina pulled out his heart, and he fell to the floor, dead._

 _"I'm sorry," she said with tears trickling down her cheeks._

 _A bloodcurdling scream pierced Regina's ears. She whirled around to see Natalie standing in the doorway. Tears were streaming down her white face, as her hands covered her mouth._

 _"Natalie!" Regina gasped, as she ran towards her daughter and hugged her, "I'm so sorry you had to see this."_

 _Natalie shoved Regina away. The princess couldn't say anything, except..._

" _Mother...why?"_

 _"It's what I had to do to ensure our happiness."_

 _Rumplestiltskin's words resounded in Natalie's mind: "If you had obeyed Regina, then you would've stayed home, and perhaps...saved his life. . . . the Dark Curse can only be activated by using the heart of the thing you love most."_

 _The princess flinched with the realization, "That's why you killed grandfather?"_

 _Regina tried to wipe away the stray tears in Natalie's eyes, but Natalie recoiled in horror at what her mother had done. After several moments, Natalie could speak again,_

" _Why Henry and not me?"_

" _I chose Henry, because his life is nearly over anyway. Your life is just beginning. Besides, you're all I have left of Daniel!" Regina shouted...and then fell to the floor, sobbing, "If I killed you, it would be like losing Daniel all over again, and I just-can't!"_

 _Wails of genuine anguish from the heartbroken queen echoed throughout the castle. This time, the princess held her mother close,_

" _I understand."_

 _Regina weakly smiled at Natalie._

 _"That's my brave girl."_

 _Natalie briefly smiled back at her mother. With a wave of Natalie's hand, a silver chest appeared. Regina placed the heart in the chest, and they proceeded to the carriage to bring forth the curse._

* * *

 _As the carriage drove along to the Dark Forest, Regina and Natalie held each other close._

 _"I know it wasn't easy for you, mom," Natalie said, her head still leaning on her mother's shoulder. Regina stroked her daughter's hair to try to comfort her._

 _"No, it wasn't. I know you loved your grandfather, and so did I."_

 _Finally, the carriage came to a stop. Regina and Natalie were helped out of the carriage by one of the black knights. The fire from the original gathering was still burning with all the other ingredients still in it. Regina opened the chest, removed her father's heart, and threw it into the fire. Once again, the tornado of black and green smoke began to rise, but this time in full effect._

 _The curse has now been activated._

 _Regina and Natalie stood at the headstone of Regina's father, both holding black roses. Regina laid her rose at the head of the tombstone first._

 _"I love you, daddy," Regina said_

 _Natalie then placed her rose next to the tombstone._

 _"So do I, grandpa," she said._

 _Both turned away from this reminder of the sacrifice required for their happy ending. The tombstone they left behind read,_

 _ **Henry, Beloved Father and Grandfather.**_


	4. Snow Falls

**I don't own Once Upon A Time; all I own is my OC Natalie.**

 **Chapter 4: Snow Falls**

 _The sun in the sky shone brightly in the Enchanted Forest. On the outskirts of King George's kingdom, white horses pulled a magnificent ivory carriage that was accompanied by George's knights. Inside that carriage sat Prince James, staring out the window in admiration of the forest's beauty._

" _What do you think of the view, my dear?" he asked the woman across from him. She was Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas._

" _I've seen better," she replied without conviction, "This is taking forever! I told you the troll road would have been quicker."_

 _Abigail seemed to be the type of princess who did not care much for anything beyond a castle, a horse drawn carriage, and any luxury that could be found within them. She was upset about the route they took, seeing as how it was bumpy and long. James, well known as Charming, took a small pouch out of his pocket and began inspecting it, apparently in deep thought._

" _Are you even listening to me?" Abigail asked in irritation. This seemed to pull James out of his thoughts._

" _Yes, of course I am," The prince lied. He didn't really want to tell her that he was unhappy about the marriage, but it was becoming ever so difficult._

 _Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt stop. James stepped out to assist the knights, leaving the purse on the seat of the carriage. A tree was lying in the middle of the road, not allowing them to pass. James just shrugged it off, thinking that it had just fallen over._

" _Worry not, for it is but a fallen tree," he said calmly. He moved forward to assess the damage and noticed something strange; the tree had marks on the lower portion where it had fallen. Then it dawned on him._

" _These markings...this tree didn't fall; it's been cut. It's an ambush," James said._

 _A scream from the carriage alerted all the men, and they spun around to see what the trouble was. A figure in a hooded, forest green cloak mounted one of the white horses to escape. James, meanwhile, jumped on another horse to aggressively chase the bandit. The two riders galloped through the forest. James was gaining on the hooded figure. When they were side by side, James leapt off of his horse, tackling the other rider to the ground._

" _Show your face, coward!" he spat._

 _The prince removed the hood, as he raised a ready fist to punch the thief...but was stopped when he saw who it was. It was a girl with skin as white as snow and hair as black as night. Both were beautiful, but what James found the most enchanting were the girl's sparkling green eyes._

" _Y-You're a girl," he stammered in astonishment. The girl just smiled and tossed the purse-James's purse-up and down in her hand._

" _Woman," she corrected._

 _This confused James, but that didn't last long when something hard whacked his face. He toppled to his side, holding his jaw. Blood smeared on his fingers, as they touched the cut on the bottom of his jawline. That GIRL had the nerve to hit him with a rock! Seizing her opportunity, the girl jumped back on the horse, pulled the hood back over her head, and rode off in the other direction. James got back to his feet and watched her in surprise and anger, but mostly anger._

" _You can't hide from me!" he yelled furiously, "No matter where you are; I will find you!"_

* * *

Once again, Natalie sat at her desk in her room, finishing up her homework. Lately her days consisted of going to school, coming home, doing homework from the moment she walks in the door, and going to bed, only to repeat the cycle the very next day. Truthfully, she was getting very bored, very fast. Luckily though, today is Thursday, so it would be the weekend.

Meaning, Natalie wouldn't have to worry about homework for a few days. She stood and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where her mother was working on some documents. Evidently, Grown-Ups have homework too.

"Hey mom, I'm about to go on a walk. Do you mind?" she asked.

Regina just nodded, not even looking up from the papers. Rolling her eyes, Natalie walked out the front door. Not only was her mother busy with work this week, but she was also swamped with all these new agreements and transactions that needed her undivided attention. Natalie strolled down Main Street and passed by Granny's dinner, when she saw Mary Margaret inside with Dr. Whale. Natalie watched them through the window and listened to what they were saying.

"So, where were we? Something about you wanting fifteen kids," Whale said nervously.

"Oh no! Goodness, no," Mary Margaret assured him. Whale let out a sigh of relief.

"I meant in my class I have fifteen kids. Not that I don't want kids, I do. I want kids and marriage, true love, but I realize that that's not..."

Mary paused, because she noticed Dr. Whale not even looking at her. Instead, he was looking behind Mary at Ruby, who was, once again, wearing clothes too short to leave anything to the imagination.

"Not appropriate to discuss on a first date," Mary finished halfheartedly.

Again, Mary's comments are unheard by Whale, as he continues ogling Ruby.

"Ruby," Mary sighs, getting the waitress's attention, "Check, please."

Talk about a comedy of errors! Natalie stared in disbelief. She vainly tried stifling all the laughter that was about to erupt out of her. Suddenly, Natalie noticed Mary Margaret heading towards the door. Natalie hurried and sat at one of the patio tables. When Mary Margaret stepped out of the restaurant, she just looked at the ground, ashamed at how everything went. Natalie just burst out laughing, which startled Mary Margaret a little.

"Oh Natalie! I didn't notice you," She said with shaky breath, "What's so funny?"

"Y-Y-You," Natalie managed to say through her laughter. Mary Margaret raised a brow in confusion,

"I'm sorry?"

"Of all the people in town that you could try to find true love with, you chose WHALE," Natalie giggles, "You'd have a much better chance of finding a way to end world hunger."

Continuing to laugh her way up Main Street, Natalie saw Emma's yellow bug sitting on the side of the road with Emma leaning up against it. She noticed Natalie's presence from all of her laughter.

"Hey Natalie, what's so funny?" She asked.

"Oh gosh! My stomach hurts," Natalie replied, still chuckling. Emma didn't laugh. It figures that she doesn't have a sense of humor.

"Ask her," Natalie pointed at Mary Margaret, who was walking behind her.

Thankfully, Natalie was no longer laughing, as she found herself sauntering through the front door of her house. When she walked into the kitchen, Natalie saw her mother sitting there, finishing up the last of the paperwork. Regina looked up and saw Natalie's red face.

"What happened to you?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I just saw the most hilarious thing in the world," Natalie answered, "You won't believe it."

Regina set down the paperwork and pulled up a seat for Natalie,

"Try me."

Natalie took the proffered seat and told her mother the whole story about what she saw at the diner. After hearing this, Regina couldn't help but laugh a little as well,

"Alright, well, that's enough excitement for one day. You should head to bed, since you do still have school in the morning."

Natalie hummed pensively,

"Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Me and a few of the high school students are going to help the middle school kids decorate the hospital tomorrow."

Regina looked genuinely confused by that,

"No, I didn't know that."

Whoops...Natalie cringed. Normally, she remembered to tell her mother these things...oh well. No time like the present, right?

"Well, it would be good for Henry and me to spend more time together. Besides," Natalie slyly grinned, "I can keep Mary Margaret away from John Doe."

Hearing this made Regina smile.

"Good girl," She kissed her daughter's forehead, "Now, off to bed."

Natalie nodded and hugged her mother, before heading upstairs to change into her sleepwear and hop into bed.

* * *

The next morning, Natalie showered and changed into her school uniform, before going downstairs, where her mother and brother were already eating breakfast. Natalie sat next to Henry, and grabbed herself a piece of toast.

"Well, look who's finally awake," Regina smiled. "You know, sometimes I swear you take forever to get ready in the morning."

Natalie hastily chewed and swallowed, before responding,

"You know, mom, to look good takes time," she smirked, "It's doesn't just happen."

Regina threw her hands up in defense, and Natalie just laughed. Henry was eager to help at the hospital, which is why he wolfed down the rest of his food and raced to the door.

"Come on, Natty," he said excitedly.

"Ok, Ok, I'm coming!" she exclaimed, "Just hold your horses."

She grabbed her stuff, kissed her mom's cheek, and ran out the door with Henry.

Later, Natalie and some of the middle school kids had just finished hanging a giant banner in the hospital that read 'Get Well' in huge letters. It was decorated with an assortment of balloons and multicolored stars. Truth is, all the happy colors made Natalie sick to her stomach, but she had to at least play the part of the nice girl. She looked over her shoulder to see Henry in John Doe's room. Her little brother stared at John Doe closely...much too closely. She jerked open the door, causing Henry to jump a little.

"Henry, we could really use your help with the decorations," she said.

"Is Mr. Doe gonna be ok, Natty?" He asked. Natalie smiled and put her arm around her brother's shoulders.

"Honey, his name is not really John Doe. That's just what they call people when they have no idea who they are," she explained.

At that moment, Mary Margaret walked in and smiled at the two kids.

"Do you know who John Doe is, Ms. Blanchard?" Henry asked her. She looked at John Doe.

"Nope, I just bring him flowers on my rounds," Mary said, as she placed a fresh bouquet on his nightstand.

"What's wrong with him?" Henry curiously questioned.

"I don't know," Mary Margaret shrugged, "He's been like this as long as I've been volunteering."

Natalie wasn't even listening in to the conversation; her eyes were fixed solely on John Doe. The moment she saw him again, everything about him in the Enchanted Forest came back to her. His determination to protect Snow from Natalie and her mother...so disgusting. Natalie was glad that he was this way.

Henry raised an eyebrow,

"Does he have any family or friends?"

Mary Margaret shook her head,

"No one's claimed him."

"So he's alone?"

"Yeah…it's quite sad."

Henry looked at John Doe and then back at Mary Margaret. A tiny, sly smile came to Henry's face,

"Are you sure you don't know him?"

"Course I'm sure," Mary giggled slightly. She strolled back out of the room to help the other kids.

Henry looked at his sister, who was still looking at John Doe with a murderous glare.

"Natty, are you ok?" Henry asked. Natalie snapped out of her scowl.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine…just wondering," she calmly lied, "Come on, we really shouldn't be in here."

Natalie led Henry out of the room, but not before casting one more evil glance at the comatose man. Perhaps her nasty looks could kill him...that was what Natalie wanted more than anything at the moment.

* * *

Later that night in the mayor's office, Natalie was helping her mother finish some last minute business. Though she was still in high school, Natalie occasionally assisted her mother with running the town. When they first arrived in Storybrooke, Regina wanted Natalie to learn everything about being a leader. Currently she was still fixed on the town charters, but one day Natalie would help her mother run the whole show.

"Alright mom, I believe that's everything!" Natalie exclaimed. Regina looked at her daughter, and was surprised to see that she had actually done more than expected. Not only did Natalie review the town charters, but she also managed to finish the paperwork on the city budgets.

"How in the world did you manage that?" Regina asked in confusion.

Natalie shrugged,

"Guess I'm just doing pretty well in math."

"Well, look at you, the mayor in training," Regina smiled.

Natalie smiled as well,

"Well, I did learn from the best."

Smiling, Regina hugged her daughter and kissed the top of her head. Afterwards, Regina pulled back and looked into Natalie's blue eyes; those gorgeous eyes that she inherited from her father.

"It seems like only yesterday I was holding your little hands, teaching you to walk. Now look at you, practically running an entire town," she said. Natalie noticed a single tear slide down her mother's cheek.

"Mom, you're crying," Natalie smiled. Regina quickly wiped the tear away, as she apologized,

"Sorry. It's just hard to believe that you're growing up so fast"

Natalie smiled and pulled her mother into a bone crushing hug. She could have stayed like this forever. It made her feel warm and safe. The rest of the world may see her as the Evil Queen, but to Natalie, Regina Mills was just her mother.

"Not to mention it reminds me about how old I'm getting" Regina joked. Natalie giggled and pulled back from the embrace.

"We've been frozen for twenty eight years, mom. I think you're fine," Natalie jested.

Before their banter could continue, the telephone on Regina's desk rang, and Natalie picked it up.

"Mayor's Office," she greeted.

" ** _Ah hello, Natalie. This is Doctor Whale. I was hoping I could speak to your mother. There is a matter of the utmost importance that must be discussed._** _"_

"Who is it?" Regina asked. Natalie handed the phone to her mother.

"It's Doctor _Fail_ ," she mocked.

Regina chuckled and turned on the speaker phone, so Natalie could hear.

"What is it, Whale?"

" ** _Mayor Mills, you told me to call you in case there was ever a change in the John Doe…something's happened."_**

Regina's eyes grew in disbelief, as she stood up from the desk with Natalie following suit.

"What?" Regina asked nervously.

" ** _One of our volunteers said he grabbed her, and there was a slight fluctuation in the brain activity."_**

Regina and Natalie traded confused looks, before Regina looked back at the phone,

"Who was this volunteer?"

" ** _Mary Margaret Blanchard."_**

Hearing the name made Natalie's eyes widen, until they looked like they would pop out of their sockets, while Regina grabbed the phone and growled.

The next morning, Regina and Natalie quickly walked through the halls of the hospital accompanied by Dr. Whale.

"Tell me what the hell happened, Whale!" Regina demanded loudly.

"W-W-Well, I was making my nightly rounds when Mary Margaret came running up to me, telling me he grabbed her hand," he explained nervously. Like most people in Storybrooke, Dr. Whale was deathly afraid of Regina.

"You're sure it was Ms. Blanchard?" Natalie asked.

"Positive."

On their way to John Doe's room, they saw a group of nurses and doctors crammed in the room along with Sheriff Graham.

"Graham, what's going on?" Regina asked, shoving her way into the room.

"It's John Doe…he's gone," he replied.

Regina and Natalie moved past the sheriff and the medics to see what the problem was. Sure enough, John Doe's bed was completely empty. The I.V chords were ripped out, and John Doe was nowhere in sight. Just then, Emma Swan, Henry, and Mary Margaret entered. Regina glared at them.

* * *

 _Pondering his course of action, King George sat in the courtyard throne of his castle. Perhaps this new prince that Rumplestiltskin had procured for George was not going to fit his plans. This boy was much more different than the King was told. The fact that the prince didn't want riches or anything else that George offered him demonstrated that he wouldn't willingly aid the King's schemes._

 _Suddenly, the sound of approaching horse hooves yanked King George out of his thoughts. Ahead of him was a black carriage being hauled by dark horses, and these were guarded by black knights. The caravan galloped through the gates into the courtyard. King George began approaching the carriage as it halted. A black knight hopped off of one of the dark steeds and opened the door to reveal Princess Natalie. She adjusted her elaborate braid, before clutching the hem of her glamorous dark dress to gracefully exit the carriage._

" _Natalie, my dear, it is so good to see you again," George kindly greeted. Natalie floated towards him and embraced him._

" _It's good to see you too, Uncle George," she replied._

 _King George chuckled and released Natalie from the hug,_

 _"Remember dear, I'm not really your uncle."_

 _Natalie just smiled,_

 _"I know, but it's just easier if I call you that. You don't mind, do you?"_

" _Of course not," he reassured her._

 _King George guided Natalie through the many halls of the castle. Eventually, they entered the meeting room. It always delighted Natalie to explore her "Uncle's" castle, because there was always something new. King George led her to the circular table in the middle of the room and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down, and George took the seat across from hers._

" _YOU," George pointed to one of the guards, "Get my guest some tea." The guard bowed and hurriedly grasped a tea tray from the table next to him. He quickly poured the tea into one of the cups, and handed it to Natalie._

" _I do hope you like chamomile," George smiled. Natalie took a sip from the cup and smiled._

" _It's splendid, Uncle George, really it is," she stated. Natalie abruptly snapped her fingers, and the guard took the cup away. George couldn't help but smile,_

" _So, what brings you to this corner of the woods?"_

 _Natalie leaned back in her chair,_

" _Mother sent me to offer our congratulations on the announcement of your son's wedding."_

 _George leaned forward a bit,_

" _Well, thank you. If you would give my thanks to your mother, it would be much appreciated."_

" _Of course," she smiled graciously._

 _George looked at her and something popped into his mind,_

" _You know, Natalie, while you're here; there is someone that I would like you to meet."_

 _George gestured to the guards who walked behind one of the columns. Natalie turned to see the guards return; this time they were accompanied by a young man who looked to be about 18 years of age. Standing about five feet and seven inches tall, he was blessed with handsome features and nappy brown hair that was slicked to the side. His attire consisted of a dark leather dress shirt, usually worn by princes, matching pants, and boots._

 _Natalie's jaw dropped. She had never seen a boy like this before. It took her a moment to realize that she was gawking at him. Unfortunately, Natalie finally snapped out of her daze, after she noticed he was staring directly at her with an uncomfortable expression. Natalie turned her face away to hide her blushing. King George ambled over to the young man, placed an arm around his shoulders, and walked him back to Natalie._

" _Natalie, I would like you to meet my nephew," he gestured to young man, "Prince Jason of Madoura."_

 _Jason gave a small bow to Natalie, who in turn gave a small curtsey._

 _"I didn't know you had a nephew, Uncle George," she remarked._

" _Jason is the son of my youngest brother, Marcus, who passed away a few weeks ago. Seeing as how his older brother took the throne, Jason decided to come here to be my successor," George patted the boy's shoulder, "Well, don't be shy, boy! Walk over and say hello to the princess."_

 _That command pushed Jason towards Natalie. Judging from his reluctant gait, he was bashful, which was unexpected. If anything, Jason's success and good looks should make him extroverted instead of introverted. His slow footsteps made Natalie's heart beat faster. Why was she feeling this way?_

" _Hello...it's nice to meet you. I'm Prince Jason," he stuck out his hand. Natalie hesitated, at first, but reached out to shake his hand._

" _Princess Natalie," she introduced herself. He smiled at the blush in her cheeks she was so desperately trying to hide._

" _Pleasure to meet you Natalie," he placed a kiss on her hand. The moment his lips touched her skin; Natalie could feel electricity rushing through her skin. This feeling was strange, but she had to admit that it was very pleasant._

" _You know," Jason interrupted her thoughts, "I'm not familiar with the Enchanted Forest yet... maybe you can show me around and help me get settled in to this new land?"_

 _For a moment, Natalie pondered the question before nervously responding,_

 _"S-S-Sure, why not?"_

* * *

Regina and Natalie stormed towards Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina hissed at Emma. She noticed Henry by Emma's side. Regina grabbed his arm, dragging him towards her.

"And you, I thought you were at the arcade! Now you're lying to me?" Hurt seeped into Regina's voice. Henry, her son, lied to her. She moved him in Natalie's direction, and he stood in front of his older sister who squeezed his shoulders.

"Where's John Doe?" Mary Margaret asked in concern, "Did someone take him?"

"We don't know," Graham replied, "His I.V. cords were ripped out, but there's no sign of a struggle."

"What did you do?" Henry accused Regina.

Regina looked at Henry, wondering why he always assumed she did anything,

"You think I had something do with this?"

"It is curious that the mayor is here," Emma said, "Plus the fact that your daughter is with you wherever there's trouble is also very suspicious." Emma glowered at Natalie.

Natalie shot Emma a death glare as Regina explained,

"Natalie was with me at the office when we got the call, and I'm here because I'm his emergency contact."

"You know him?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I found him on the side of the road years ago with no I.D., and I brought him here," Regina answered.

Dr. Whale walked out behind her,

"Mayor Mills saved his life."

Mary Margaret's voice was filled with concern,

"Will he be ok?"

"Ok? The man's been on feeding tubes for years under constant supervision. He needs to get back here right away or quite honestly OK might be a pipe dream," Dr. Whale elucidated.

"Well then let's quit yapping and start looking," Emma turned to leave but was stopped by Regina's words.

"That's what _we're_ doing. Just stay out of this, dear, and since I clearly can't keep you away from my son…I guess I'm just going to need to keep my son away from you," Regina said. Natalie grabbed Henry's hand and followed her mother, who stopped in front of Emma.

Regina noticed that Emma was wearing one of her shirts and just shrugged,

"Enjoy my shirt…because that's all you're getting."

With that, Regina, Henry, and Natalie all made their way back to Mill's manor.

* * *

 _Natalie rode her elegant black stallion through the forest that surrounded her castle accompanied by two of her mother's best trained black knights. However, they were not the only ones that kept Natalie's company. Prince Jason also rode alongside her on a cocoa brown mare. For the past few weeks, Natalie had been showing Jason around the Enchanted Forest, which allowed them to become closer as friends._

 _While riding Natalie and Jason decided to tell each other stories about their lives and compare them to see whose was more interesting. Natalie shared hers first._

"… _So anyway, my mother and I were walking through the village market-"_

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa" Jason interrupted, "Your mother actually let you around commoners?" His teasing made Natalie giggle._

 _"How old were you?" Jason said_

" _Seven, but that's beside the point," she replied playfully, "Anyway, as we walked, I noticed some big kids playing in the street. So I went over and asked if I could join them, but they pushed me in the mud. Long story short, my mother turned them all into pigs. Hence The Evil Queen was born."_

 _This made Jason laugh so much that he nearly fell off his horse. He had gotten passed the fact that Natalie was The Evil Queen's daughter. Even if he hadn't, Jason shouldn't judge. he wouldn't mind. He was, after all, King George's nephew. Thankfully, Jason managed to calm himself enough to tell his story._

" _Ok, that is really crazy, but I think I can top that," he said smugly._

 _Natalie raised a skeptical yet playful eyebrow,_

" _What could be crazier than turning someone into a pig?"_

" _Try having your older brother turn you into a deer during hunting season."_

 _Natalie blinked. With each blink, her eyes widened in surprise. Being turned into a deer was much, MUCH worse than Natalie's mother turning some kids into pigs. After a moment of silence, Natalie and Jason erupted into a fit of laughter at the idea of him becoming a deer._

" _Well, this has been a great day," Jason said when the laughing subsided, "but I should probably head back. My uncle won't be too pleased if I'm out after dark."_

 _Natalie nodded,_

 _"Yeah and my mother will literally have our knights tear apart the entire forest if I'm out too long"_

 _Jason smiled as one more idea came into his head,_

 _"May I at least accompany you home safely?"_

 _Natalie blushed slightly but nodded. Both of them rode their horses to the clearing in the woods, and Jason marveled at the sight of Queen Regina's castle. It looked like a giant wall of spikes, because it almost was. Upon reaching the stables, Jason dismounted his horse, and walked over to Natalie's horse, and offered Natalie his hand. Natalie accepted Jason's hand and hopped off her own horse._

" _Today was really fun, and I hope I can see you again soon," Jason said, kissing her hand._

 _Natalie could, once again, feel the heat rising in her cheeks, as his lips touched her hand. Ever since they met, she had been feeling really strange around Jason. Every time he was near, she felt this knot in her stomach that wouldn't go away until he did._

" _Sure," she longingly sighed._

 _Jason raised an eyebrow,_

 _"What?"_

" _I-I mean, sure," Natalie corrected, her face blushing even more at how she said it before._

 _Jason bowed once more before turning and walking out of the stables. However, he took one more glance at Natalie, who looked like she was ready to slap herself for her silly behavior. Seeing this, Jason couldn't stop the smile that found its way to his face._

* * *

As the night rolled around, Natalie was curled up in her bed, reading _Romeo_ _and_ _Juliet_ for the ten thousandth time. Though she did not truly believe what this play was saying about love, she still found the story to be very intriguing.

Suddenly, her door slammed open, and she nearly fell off her bed. Her mother walked in with a determined look on her face. Natalie, however, now had a startled expression.

"Everything ok, mom?" she panted.

"Everything is more than fine, dear. You'll be happy to know that they found the John Doe."

"Really, where was he?" Natalie asked in disgust. She still hated the man.

"They found him at the toll bridge and brought him back to the hospital. Right now, I need you to come with me," Regina exclaimed.

"Why, what's going on?"

Regina only smiled wickedly, as she made her way out of the room and down the stairs. Natalie sighed and got out of bed, put on her coat, and went downstairs. Anytime her mother got excited about something; it could only mean one thing…things were about to go bad for someone.

Natalie put on her black boots and walked out the front door, where her mother was already in the car along with a blonde woman Natalie knew too well. Natalie climbed into the back seat of the car and smiled at the blonde.

When they arrived at the hospital, Regina and Natalie led the blonde to the John Doe room, where Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret stood outside looking in. As soon as the blonde woman laid eyes on the now returned man, her heart broke.

"David!" she cried and walked into the room.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you can't be in here right now," Dr. Whale said. The woman wouldn't even hear of it; she just walked to the man's bedside and smiled.

Natalie and Regina smiled when they saw Mary Margaret's confused look,

"Who is that?"

"His wife," Regina said, which alerted the group of their presence.

"What?"

"His name is David Nolan" Natalie explained, "and that's his wife Kathryn," she pointed to the blonde in the room with David.

"And the joy on her face, well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood," Regina frowned at Henry.

"We'll talk about your insubordination later. Do you know what insubordination means?"

Henry shook his head.

"It means you're grounded," she explained, "Natalie, please take Henry to the car?"

Natalie nodded and took Henry's hand, and led him out of the room. They continued to walk down the hall, until someone knocked Natalie over.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me help you up," the person said. Natalie just pushed away the person's outstretched hand.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, "Next time, why don't you watch whe…." Her words were cut off when she saw the stranger's face. All of a sudden, Natalie's stomach twisted into a knot.

 _Jason._

 **Duh, Duh, Duh. Well, guys, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long to publish, but you know, life goes on. I hope you all like my OC Jason. He's brand new, but trust me, he will be important. If you want to know what Jason looks like, he looks like Cody Christian. Till next time, like, follow, review…Later.**


	5. The Price of Gold

**Hey guys, sorry it has taken so long for me to update. Life has been busy for me with work. However, I am back now and I hope you will enjoy this new installment of Natalie's life in Storybrooke.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time. All rights belong to ABC. The only thing I own is my OC Natalie.**

 **Chapter 5: The Price of Gold**

 _It was a clear and beautiful night in the Enchanted Forest as Lady Tremaine and her two daughters made their way to their family carriage, which was parked outside of their mansion. Tremaine stepped in first, followed by Anastasia and then Drusella._

 _As the carriage began to roll away, a peasant girl with dirty blonde hair made her way to the front of the mansion, sweeping as she walked. She wore dirty clothing that looked as if it were made of rags, and she was covered from head to toe in ash and soot. You might know this girl as Cinderella._

 _As Ella watched the carriage roll away she also noticed the fireworks exploding over the castle in the distance. Tonight there was to be a grand ball in honor of Prince Thomas, son of King John. Cinderella had hoped to go as well but her wicked step mother had forbidden her from attending. Now all Ella could do was look on and wonder._

" _Do not despair my dear for you will attend that ball" a voice said behind her._

 _Ella turned quickly and noticed a small woman with wings flying towards her. She wore a dress made entirely of gold. This must be a fairy._

" _Who are you?" Ella asked curiously._

 _The woman was engulfed in a cloud magical golden dust and light, and when it disappeared, in its place stood a full grown woman and her wings were now gone._

" _I'm your fairy god mother," the fairy smiled, "and I'm here to change your life Cinderella"_

 _Cinderella shook her head, "But my step mother told me I couldn't go, she forbade me to leave"_

 _The fairy simply smiled and pulled out a golden wand._

" _Your step mother doesn't have this. This wand can take you to your ball, to your prince, and to your…"_

 _Before she could finish, the fairy exploded into ash and her wand fell to the ground. Cinderella backed away and gasped in shock and terror. Suddenly, a man in dark crocodile leather leaned down and picked up the magic wand._

" _What did you do" Ella asked terrified._

" _Now now" the imp grinned, "I got what I wanted. There's no need to be frightened"_

" _No need? You just killed my fairy god mother, she was trying to help me"_

" _Was she? Do you know what this is?" the imp sang, waving the wand in his hand._

" _Pure magic" Cinderella smiled._

" _Pure evil." Rumple corrected. "I've done you a favor. All magic comes with a price. Go on about your life and thank your lucky stars that you still have something to go back to"_

" _My life…it's retched"_

" _Then change it, you can't handle this"_

 _Rumple turned heel and began to walk away but was stopped in his tracks as Cinderella ran in front of him._

" _No please I can handle it, I will do anything to get out of here" she pleaded._

"Anything? _" Rumple grinned evilly._

" _Do you know how to use that wand Mr.…"_

" _Rumpelstiltskin" he bowed, "and yes I do"_

" _Then help me"_

 _A sly smile spread on Rumple's face._

" _Well if I do, and you can indeed shoulder the…consequences, then you'll owe me a favor"_

" _Name it I'll give you anything you want"_

" _Something precious" he whispered._

" _I have nothing"_

" _Oh but you will, with this wish will come riches more than you know. Fear not, my needs are small and you have to do…is sign on the dotted line"_

 _The imp conjured up a contract and a quill for the peasant girl to sign with._

" _Do we have a deal?" he giggled._

" _Yes of course" With haste Ella signed the contract and the imp looked it over. Satisfied with his deal, the alchemist waved the wand and in a puff of red smoke Ella was wearing a magnificent blue dress with her golden hair in an elegant curled bun._

 _At her feet she noticed two slippers, but what made it odd was that the slippers were made of…_

" _Glass?" she asked confused._

" _Every story needs a memorable detail" the imp smiled._

 _Ella stepped into the glass slippers to find that they fit her perfectly, and they were a lot more comfortable than they seemed._

 _"Now you have a good time but be sure to watch the clock" he warned._

" _But how am I to get there?"_

 _With another wave of the wand, a glorious horse drawn carriage stood ready and waiting. Ella looked at it with eyes wide with excitement. Rumple opened the door and gestured for her to enter. Ella smiled and entered the carriage and rode off to her prince and her happy ending._

 _The evil imp watched the carriage ride off towards the castle and smiled wickedly._

" _And that" he said loudly, "is how you manipulate someone, by using the thing they so desperately desire"_

 _From behind a corner of the Tremaine house, Princess Natalie walked out in a dark purple dress. She, like Rumple, smiled in wicked satisfaction._

" _What a great lesson master, I wonder what her reaction will be when she finds out the price she must pay"_

" _Well dearie, let's just say that our poor Ella won't be starting a family any time soon"_

* * *

Natalie walked down the sidewalk on her way to school, her mind was a million miles away currently. Ever since her encounter with Jason at the hospital a week ago she's been feeling strange. Every time she would see him around town she'd get that weird feeling in her stomach and feel her heart clench. She never did really talk to him since she saw him at the hospital.

Continuing to walk on she noticed she was coming up on Granny's Diner. She wasn't expected at school for another hour or so, she shrugged and made her way into the restaurant. She took a seat at a table close to the door and Ruby came to take her order.

"Yeah this morning I'll just have two eggs sunny side up"

Ruby scribbled down the order and made her way to the kitchen. While waiting, Natalie noticed a girl with blonde hair walking into the washroom and a wicked thought came to her mind. She smiled and stood up and proceeded to walk into the wash room. There she found a girl of about 19 to 20 years of age washing sheets for the inn next door. It was clear the girl was pregnant by the look of her swollen stomach.

"Hello Ashley" she smiled leaning against the door frame.

The girl in question gasped loudly and dropped the sheets she was holding.

"What are you doing here" she choked in fear.

"Oh I just came by to see how you were doing"

"You know how I'm doing, you practically ruined my life Natalie" Ashley snarled.

Natalie chuckled at the remark, "I ruined your life? Forgive me if I'm wrong but I'm not the one who got crazy drunk at the bar with my boyfriend and hoisted my legs up past my ears, that was you."

Hearing Natalie say this made Ashley burst into tears and put her head in her hands.

"Oh and by the way," Natalie interjected, "…tell anyone about this and I'll make your life even more miserable. You think I can't but I promise I can, my mother will make sure of it and neither of us will miss one wink of sleep."

With that, Natalie smirked and made her way back to her table only to see Emma Swan now sitting there. Ruby brought her over a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon

"Thank you" she said kindly.

Ruby walked away smiling and Natalie rolled her eyes. She sat in her seat and Emma looked up from the cocoa to meet eyes with the young Miss Mills.

"What are you still doing here" Natalie grimaced.

"Having some hot chocolate, there's no crime against that so your mother can't have me arrested"

Natalie leaned in closer, "Listen close Miss Swan, why don't you just leave this town and everything can go back to how it should. If you stay here people will only get hurt, but the one who will get hurt most…is Henry"

Emma scoffed and was prepared to respond when the bell above the entrance rang and in walked Regina Mills herself. Regina saw her daughter who smiled at her, which caused her to smile in return. Regina took a seat right next to her daughter and looked across to Emma.

"How was your walk with Henry? That's right I know everything" the mayor smiled, "Relax I don't mind"

"You don't?" Emma smiled.

"No, because you no longer worry me Miss Swan. You see I did a little digging into who you are and what I found was quite soothing. It all comes down to the number seven"

"Seven?" Emma asked in confusion.

"The number of addresses you've had in the past decade. Your longest anywhere was two years. Really what did you enjoy about Tallahassee" Regina asked curiously.

"If you were wondering I did find a place"

"I know with Miss Blanchard. How long is your lease, oh wait you don't have one. In order for something to grow Miss Swan it needs roots, and you don't have any. People don't change, they only fool themselves into believing they can"

"You don't know me" Emma smirked.

"No I think I do. All I ask is as you carry on your transient life, you think about Henry and what's best for him. Perhaps consider a clean break, it's going to happen anyway. Enjoy your cocoa"

Regina stood on her feet and leaned down to plant a kiss on Natalie's head before making her way out the door. Natalie looked back at Emma who seemed confused as to what just happened. As Emma was beginning to stand to leave, Natalie did the same and 'accidentally' bumped into Emma, causing her to spill her cocoa all over her shirt.

"Really" Emma complained.

"Sorry I'm a bit clumsy" Natalie smiled and shrugged. Before she left she looked back at Emma, "Oh and you don't mind paying for breakfast right? Ok, tootles" she giggled and walked out the door.

Natalie looked over her shoulder to see Emma walking into the washroom and she smiled triumphantly at what she had done. She turned her head back around just in time to avoid collision with a certain 18 year old boy whom she had taken a sudden interest in. His blue green eyes met hers and she froze in place.

"Sorry," his expression changed when he noticed her "hey you're the girl I ran into at the hospital right?"

Natalie suddenly found her voice that somehow escaped her, "Y-Yeah I am"

"You know we really have to stop meeting like this" he joked, causing Natalie to giggle slightly and turn a small shade of pink.

"I guess so, you know I never did catch your name"

"Oh right, well my name is Derick Collins"

Derick stuck his hand out to Natalie and she gladly shook it gently. The moment their hands met, Natalie could once again feel a strange feeling inside her that she hadn't felt since the Enchanted Forest. His name may have changed, but to Natalie, he was still the same Jason that she once loved.

"So what's your name" Derick asked

"Oh yeah sorry, my name's Natalie Mills"

Derick's eyes widened slightly, "Wait you mean Mills like Mayor Mills"

Natalie smiled awkwardly, "Yep that's my mom"

"Well then I guess I should apologize for running into you…twice" he smiled.

"Oh don't worry about it. So I have to ask, how have I never seen you around town before?"

"Well you see my dad passed away not too long ago and I didn't have any other family members to go to, so I ended up coming here to Storybrooke where my cousin David lived"

Natalie frowned when she heard the name David. She knew he meant David Nolan, the man whom she wanted to see with his head on a spike. Nevertheless, she smiled a warm smile because it was Derick.

"Well then let me be the first to welcome you to Storybrooke"

Derick smiled and Natalie couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous smile she adored so much back in the Enchanted Forest. When she finally came off cloud nine she noticed Derick staring at her in confusion and she turned away to hide a blush. Why was she always doing that…again?

She was brought out of her thoughts by Derick's words. "Well Miss Mills, seeing as how you're the mayors daughter would you mind giving me a little tour of town?"

"Delighted to" she smiled.

Derick smiled one last time before walking past Natalie and down the sidewalk. Natalie watched him walk away until he was out of sight. She couldn't help the feelings that were beginning to well up inside her. She knew she was falling in love with him all over again.

* * *

 _Princess Natalie stood off in a far corner of King John's castle looking out at the sea of smiles of all of the guests. It was Prince Thomas and Princess Ella's wedding day and the entire kingdom had been invited, including Snow and Charming. Regina had sent Natalie to the party to keep an eye on Snow and Charming and report back to her mother anything that she saw._

 _She was growing rather board and rather quickly. She never really was one for the fancy balls and the flowing dresses, she decided to stick with a simple dark red dress and letting her hair flow freely. Before heading to the party, her mother helped change her appearance with a transformation spell to keep people from noticing the evil princess. As an extra precaution she also wore a red masquerade mask to cover her eyes._

" _Care to dance" someone asked._

 _Natalie gasped and looked to her side to see Prince Jason smirking at her. Like her, he was also wearing a mask much like hers except his was black, perfectly matching his suit._

" _What are you doing here?" she asked playfully._

" _Well I believe I just asked a pretty girl to dance now I'm just waiting for a response"_

 _Natalie giggled slightly before answering, "Yes I will dance with you"_

 _Jason smiled and outstretched his hand which Natalie gladly took. He led her out to the dance floor and the two began to waltz. Natalie had one hand linked with Jason's and the other on his shoulder, while Jason had his hand on her waist. They both danced for what felt like hours only to break apart a few minutes after._

 _Natalie looked over Jason's shoulder and noticed Ella dancing with a certain imp in a gold suit._

" _Do you mind waiting a moment I have to check something" she smiled, as did Jason._

" _Of course" he agreed._

 _Natalie walked by him and through the crowd. She managed to catch Rumple just before he made it out the door._

" _So what did you ask of her"_

 _The malicious imp smiled wickedly, "She must deliver to me her first born child"_

" _Quite the favor" she joked._

" _Indeed"_

* * *

Natalie and Derick made their way all around town. The whole time Natalie was describing each and every last building in town and the history behind it. Natalie was growing quite bored of the whole process.

Turning to face Derick she asked, "Do you mind if we stop with the tour"

Jason breathed a sigh of relief and answered, "Yes I thought you would never ask"

The two made their way to down the street only to be stopped by an approaching and angry looking Emma Swan.

"Hey Natalie we need to talk" she fumed.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Miss Swan this is really not appropriate, in case you weren't aware I am giving someone a tour"

"Frankly I really don't care at the moment" Emma replied crossing her arms.

"Then what is it"

"We found Ashley and brought her back to the hospital, her and her child are fine"

"Oh how wonderful" Natalie said through her huge fake smile.

"Yeah the only problem is I know that you started the town rumor that made her a pariah"

"Oh really and just what proof do you have, did dear Ashley tell you that" Natalie growled.

"No actually I was able to put the pieces together when people told me the rumor started. Not to mention that you blackmailed her into keeping it a secret, that is against the law and I think Graham will be really interested to hear this story"

Natalie laughed, "Oh please Miss Swan, this is not your town and it is not Grahams. This is my mother's town, which also makes it my town. The fact that all the proof you have is the ramblings of a hormonal teenage mother and the town skank, I don't think that anyone will really take you seriously. So goodbye Miss Swan"

Natalie returned to Derick and the two walked off. Emma meanwhile pulled out the card the Graham had given her and dialed her cell phone.

"Graham it's me, that deputy job still open"

" _Of course, start first thing Monday at 8 am_ "

"Great"

Emma hung up the cell phone and smiled triumphantly. At least now she had a job and this one would allow her to start taking it to the queen and princess of Storybrooke.

* * *

 **HAPPY NEW YEAR**


	6. IMPORTANT NOTICE

**Hello once again to all my loyal fans and supporters. I know that I am making you wait quite some time for my stories to be updated and I am sorry that they are not.**

 **Life is a hard thing to get a hold of. A lot of events are transpiring at the moment and I am unable to update as I should.**

 **Therefore, it is with my sincerest regret that I am withholding a majority of my stories until further notice.**

 **You can all rest assured knowing that I will update them all once again, however, at the moment, six stories at once just cannot happen.**

 **I will be continuing my White Night story until completion. Once that one is finished, I will begin working on my other stories, one by one.**

 **Thank you all for being so patient, I only ask that you continue just a little longer.**

 **extremeenigma02**


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